by M. L. Briers
“If I get you a saucer of milk, would you purr for me, kitty?”
“Give me a saucer of milk and you’ll be smiling like the Joker from Batman.”She offered. Now that she could do. She could make him eat a damn saucer, or shove it up his a…
“Is it that time of the month, because I can’t scent your…”
“Enough Wes, go get something to eat.”Jerome was standing just behind him as she turned to glare at the guardian vampire.
“Fresh or chilled?”Wesley let his eyes widen in glee as he stared at her and she snorted her contempt as she turned her back on him again. He bit down on the chuckle that begged to be released.
Jerome motioned for him to leave as he covered the distance to where his step daughter sat on the marble bench seat at the end of the patio. He noted that her eyes were focused out onto the winter gardens in front of her, and yet he doubted that she was taking any of it in. He folded his arms over his chest and regarded her for a long moment. His heart ached with just how much she looked like her mother. He still missed her every day.
“What was she like?”Petra knew what he was thinking about without even looking at him. He’d said as much when he saw her, she looked like her mother. It wasn’t a giant leap for her to figure out that she’d brought back old memories.
“She was beautiful, as you are. You do so look like her. And from what I understand from Wes, you have the same kind of spirit.”
“Meaning?”Petra turned to look at him and found that fondness back on his face.
“She took the world upon her shoulders, she was protective to a fault, and she had a kind heart.” He confirmed his words with his eyes. That was how he believed her to be and she was flattered, although she didn’t recognise herself from his description.
“That’s not me.”
“You belittle yourself for no reason. You’re fiercely loyal to Jill. You even took on Wes last night to protect her, did you not?”He uncrossed his arms and stared down at her, questioning her with his eyes.
“Anyone would have done that.”
“You’re lost right now…”He offered out of the blue and she frowned at him. If he wanted honestly she had that in spades too.
“I’ve always been lost. I had no anchor in my life. No past. No family. No memories…”Petra’s tone was accusing. Right now she would turn her wrath on anyone that was in her general vicinity. He understood that, it was one of the reasons he had sent her mate away. If the pairing had any hope of fruition she would need a little time and a little space, zapping her mate to kingdom come wouldn’t bode well for their future happiness.
“That was all my fault, you can’t possibly know how I struggled with that decision.”
“That was big of you.”
“You needed women in your life. A family that wasn’t Wes and I…”
“I get it.”Petra pushed up to her full height and still she had to tip her head back to be able to glare up at him. “You did the right thing. I had a family life, is that what you wanted to hear?” Petra challenged him and heard him sigh.
“If it’s the truth.”Jerome offered back to her and watched as she deflated slightly, taking a small step back away from him, mentally as well as physically.
“Jill’s family were good to me. The coven was good to me. But there wasn’t a day I didn’t try to remember where I came from, who I really was…”Petra had struggled with it for years. It would have been better if they had told her that she was their child, at least she could have come to terms with having an accident and losing her memory but still having her family. As it was she was a stray cat that had been brought into the house out of pity.
“I’m sorry. I guess I never really thought it through. I wanted to safeguard you from coming back here to find your heritage…”
“And yet here I am anyway. Isn’t fate a bitch?”Petra started off towards the steps that led down into the gardens. She’d had enough reminiscing for now, she wanted some alone time with her thoughts.
“Call out if you need me, I’ll be right here.”Jerome called after her and she snorted her contempt at that statement.
“Pity you didn’t make the same offer eighteen years ago.”She mumbled, knowing full well he could hear every word.
Wesley strolled into the kitchen and found Jill and the Lycan cooking. He shouldn’t have been surprised to find the wolf at the food cupboard, but Jill was a different matter. Having watched over Petra all of those years, Jill was the sister that never left her side, and he’d gotten to know her pretty well. Cooking certainly wasn’t her forte, perhaps her mate was already having a positive influence on the young witch and she might just let Petra off the leash for a while, relying on her far too much for Wesley’s liking.
“I came for a snack and found two willing donors…”Wesley offered, knowing it would rile up the Lycan and more than happy to watch that happen. As predicted Brad gave a long low warning growl that brought a smile to Wesley’s lips. He never got a chance to just let loose over the years, being a guardian to a Fae was a full time job, perhaps now he could have some fun?
“Back off.”Brad warned, putting himself between his mate and the vampire. Brad knew Jerome, but this guy he didn’t have a clue about. Trusting vampires wasn’t exactly instilled in his DNA, and his mate’s safety was paramount to him.
“Relax. Wolf. She feels like kin the amount of years I’ve known her. And I don’t eat kin.”Wesley didn’t think it was as enjoyable as he remembered it to be. Perhaps he was getting too old. At five hundred and forty two he wasn’t exactly a spring chicken anymore. His bloodlust was long since contained within the part of himself that was disgusted by his decade’s long need to kill anything he fed on, and fight anyone who happened to get in his way. So where was the enjoyment to be found in life? Especially as he didn’t have the girl’s to watch over anymore.
“I don’t know you.”Jill didn’t like the thought of a vampire following her every move. It was more than creepy, it was insanely creepy. But then again, if she’d known she had a vampire watching her back she could have been a lot crazier. Damn, hindsight was a bitch.
“But I know you. Your favourite flower is a lily. Your perfume has to smell like vanilla. You have a mole on your left…”
“Hey!” Jill snapped out and her mate rallied to her indignation with a long growl.
“Shoulder. I was going to say shoulder.”Wesley informed her. “I would never mention the one on your butt.”Wesley chuckled and she hissed at him.
“Listen you…”Jill aimed the spoon at him and he caught it in mid air with the snatch of his hand before it hit his head.
“And you have a great throwing arm, but not good enough to hit a vampire.”He teased as Brad took a long step towards him.
“How about if I throw a whole damn roof on your head?”Jill sneered back.
“Possibly, but you don’t have the power to do it.”Wesley strolled across the room, giving the Lycan a wide birth and yanked open the small fridge tucked into the corner.
“How about I give it a go.”Brad offered, putting his body in front of his mates. He didn’t think this vampire was looking for trouble, but his familiarity with his mate just riled him up the wrong way.
“Temper, temper, wolf. I wouldn’t want to have to put the dog outside.”Wesley didn’t bother to acknowledge the man with his eyes. They say you shouldn’t try to stare down a stray dog, and this was one of those times when he heeded that warning. But he’d watched the girls grow up into women over the years, in a way they both felt like family. Now he was finally able to come out of the shadows, they were both fair game in the teasing department, and to hell with the Lycans.
Brad took a long step towards the vampire on a low warning growl and Wesley was in front of him in a heartbeat, staring him square in the eye, and holding his ground. “Do you really believe that we have a problem?”Wesley challenged him with his words and not his actions. “Have I not guarded your mate over the years?”
“You were Petra�
�s guardian.”Brad dismissed his words.
“Where one went the other followed. Buy one get one free. If I’d wanted to hurt your mate, make her a tasty snack, or seduce her, I would have already.” The smugness in the vampires tone gave rise to the need within Brad to put his fist into the vampires face, and yet Brad was well aware of what would happen here if he did. “Perhaps you should concentrate your efforts on mating and leave the cerebral stuff to the rest of us.”
“Oh for Goddess sake, can you two at least try to play nicely?”Jill bit out. Deciding that she was done with the cooking, and the testosterone in the kitchen, she turned on her heels and was out of the room before either of them probably knew she was gone. Being fought over like a piece of meat didn’t sit well within her. It was bad enough that she was a mate to the Lycan, but when the vampire thought he had some kind of claim on her as well, although not of the mating kind, well that just seemed very wrong.
“Where are you going?”Brad was at her heels. The deep settling tone of his voice soothed her nerves and made her sigh with the acknowledgement her body gave of his presence.
“Wherever you’re not.”Jill informed him in clipped tones. She just wished her body didn’t feel the need to remind her who he was to her every damn time he was within spitting distance. It set her on edge, and she knew that he was soothing her most of the damn time, and that got her back up even more. She wasn’t a pet to be stroked.
“Sweetheart, I’m everywhere…”He teased and got a snort back for his trouble.
“Don’t I know it.”She carried on walking, even if she didn’t have a clue where she was going. As long as she was walking away from him that was a good direction to be in, she told herself, a moment before she felt his fingers wrap around her wrist. In a heartbeat he had brought them both to a stop and had turned her towards him. It took her a moment to realise that she was now looking up at him, and what damn sexy eyes he had…
“You can’t fight fate. It’s a winding road that will just lead you back to me again.”He beamed down at her, exposing two rows of perfect white teeth and Jill couldn’t help but look to see if there was just a little fang in there too. The thought made her body shiver, and she knew she wasn’t repulsed by the idea, that left only one emotion, and she wasn’t about to play up to that one.
“Groundhog day for the mentally challenged.”Jill bit out. In the grand scheme of things she knew that if she embraced this whole thing it would be easier, and probably a lot more fun, but still, a girl had to make a guy work for it, didn’t she? And what could be more fun than annoying a damn Lycan, especially when he was bound by the protective gene that wouldn’t allow him to kill his mate. It was a win-win situation.
Brad’s hand skirted around to the small of her back and he hoisted her against the length of his hard body. The sound of warning bells going off inside her head was muted somewhat by the fact that the excitement within her had just reached an all time high. Her body tingled from head to toe with his presence and she had to admit, just not to the wolfman, that he set off more than warning bells inside her.
“Tell me this doesn’t feel good.”Brad teased. He groaned internally for the way her body yielded to his. The way she fit against him perfectly, and the feel of his hardness nestled between them. She felt like home, familiar and soothing to his mind. Although, her touch sent his mind into freefall as he imagined all the things he would do to her when she lay against him, naked and open for his touch…
“This doesn’t feel good.”Jill lied, looking anywhere but directly at him. Brad cupped her chin with his free hand and tipped her head back so he could see her eyes.
“You’re lying to me and yourself.”Brad’s amusement made her want to stomp her foot in frustration like a two year old. Perhaps she should stomp on his damn foot and he wouldn’t be so smug.
“I’m not lying.”
“Yes, you are.”
“You said to tell you this doesn’t feel good. I followed your instructions like a good little mate.”She couldn’t help the small smile of satisfaction she gave him anymore than she could help the fact that her toes curled downwards within her shoes when he gently growled down at her.
Bugger and sod it. That shouldn’t sound so good. She almost groaned out loud, and that would only have encouraged him even more. From what she could feel he needed no bloody encouragement.
“You know what else a good little mate does…?”From the twinkle in his eye and the twitch of his hardness against her stomach she really didn’t need three guesses to hit her mark.
“You male chauvinistic, insensitive, disgusting ball of fur…”She hissed up at him, her eyes were wide, like a bird of prey when it had spotted its target, and Brad knew he’d made an error in judgement that he was going to have to smooth over. Ruffled feathers didn’t even come close. In fact she kind of reminded him of the pictures of a She-Devil he had seen in books.
Brad made a sound in his throat that was a cross between a gulp and a whimper, more Scooby-Doo than the big bad wolf, but even that couldn’t hold her wrath at bay. Determined not to use her magic she reached up, grabbed a good hold on his nipple through his shirt and twisted with all of her might.
This time he sounded more like the big bad wolf as he howled with the pain that shot through him. Releasing her from his hold and trying to make a fast exit backwards away from her, his feet became entangled in the worn throw rug on the floor and he started to fall. Arms and legs were working overtime to try to keep himself upwards, and for a long moment it reminded her of those captions she had seen about ducks, serene on the surface and paddling like crazy below the water. Only there wasn’t an inch of serenity about him as he tried to halt the inevitable fall.
Splat! One Lycan flat on his back with his feet knotted up with what was probably a very expensive rug. His head snapped up and forwards, and the glare of his dark eyes was enough to make Jill swallow at least part of her tongue, if not the whole of it. The menacing growl that echoed through the hallway around her was more than enough to wake her up to the fact that her mate wanted to eat her, and not in the ice cream cone kind of way.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Gotta go.”She snapped out, not even finishing her words as she whirled around in place and started back the way she had come. It was the only way out. She wasn’t about to climb over a rather angry killing machine to get to the end of the hallway, especially when she didn’t know where it led. This was a vampire’s lair, she could be walking into a damn torture chamber- and wouldn’t her mate love that?
“Oh I don’t think so…”The deep throaty growl of his words didn’t just strike fear into her heart, it had more the defibrillator effect, shocking the hell out of it, and she knew if it had little hands it would have put them up in surrender. The fact that he was right behind her didn’t help. She could even feel his breath against her neck, and for a long moment it reminded her of the beast within him, breathing down her neck and ready for the kill.
When his fingers wrapped around her arm and he practically swung her around to face him, she heard the squeak of surprise escape her lips, a moment before she felt the wall at her back. The hallway spun, or her head did, and out of sheer survival instinct she grabbed hold of the nearest solid object. The trouble was that solid object was him, or more to the point his chest, even more to the point, she clenched her fingers into tight fists and grabbed handfuls of his flesh as her nails dug in through the thin cotton top he was wearing.
The sound of another howl of pure pain was mixed with a long, hard, deep growl as he gripped her wrists and tore her hands away from his chest, she was sure she could feel the hairs in his chest being ripped out. The long drawn out groan of pain that left his lips as he bit down hard on his jaw, made her think that at any rate.
Brad thrust her hands back against the wall and pinned her in place with his hips, just in case she got any more ideas about damaging him, either with her damn claw like hands or with her magic. But her head shot forward as she tried to pull her
hands away and her forehead caught him square on the bridge of his nose. The not so subtle sound of a crack echoed through her mind along with the jolt of pain that shot through her head.
“For the love of the Gods woman…”He growled. Burying his head against her neck so she couldn’t do anymore damage to him. He took in the scent of her, even through the pain that brought tears to his eyes and made his nose sting like a bitch. Her scent made other parts of him throb back to awareness almost as hard as the throbbing in his damn head.
“You head butted me, you idiot.”She cursed under her breath and on it. In fact there probably wasn’t a swear word that she didn’t call him, his heritage, or both. It might not have cured the pain in her head, but it was a form of stress relief that brought her great satisfaction.
“You head butted me, and where the hell were you brought up, a ship yard?”He growled against the heat of her neck.
“Next to a damn Lycan pack. And you head butted me, you…mate beater.”She growled back at him and for one long moment there was nothing. No movement, no noise, not a sound to be heard between them, and then the other shoe dropped and she wanted to snatch those two little words back, drop them in a bottle, seal it up and toss it into a fast moving river as she walked the other way, because the low, deep growl that she heard start to rumble through him definitely sounded like she was on the lunch menu.
Of all the things she had done to him in the last ten minutes of his life, nothing could prepare him for the pain and the anger that rolled through his entire body. It caused his blood to heat within his veins to the point where the throbbing in his nose was nothing compared to the throbbing within his head as his blood pressure rose. He lifted his head away from her neck and raised his eyes to stare down at her under dark brows.
If looks could kill she’d be dead on the floor already, she told herself as she swallowed down hard, once, twice, and a third time to dislodge her tongue from her throat. Whoops! Oh to hell with whoops this was more like run and save yourself! The trouble was, she couldn’t have run if she wanted too. Not just because he was a big old dog that would think it was fun to hunt her down and… Don’t even go there! She told herself. She couldn’t run because the caveman was still pinning her to the damn wall.